As lethal a bat as Howie Kendrick wields -- the second baseman was hitting .500 when he suffered a left hamstring strain on April 13 -- the Angels weathered his loss well, going 18-11 in April.
But when leadoff batter Chone Figgins suffered a right hamstring strain May 3, the Angels went into a funk, going 5-6 in their next 11 games and scoring two runs or fewer in four of the losses.
"When Howie went out, we missed him. When Figgy went out, we really missed him," center fielder Torii Hunter said. "He's the igniter at the top of the lineup. He works the count, gets that hit, and when he gets on base, they start throwing fastballs."
Figgins, who is batting .306 with a .421 on-base percentage, ran the bases aggressively Friday. The fact that Manager Mike Scioscia is considering whether or not Figgins needs to play a few minor league games before being activated is an indication Figgins could return next week. Kendrick is not as close to returning.
When Figgins is activated, Scioscia can move Erick Aybar, who has been batting second, back to the bottom of the order. The return of Kendrick will add depth and punch.
"In April, the bottom of the order was tearing it up, and I was like, 'Man, I've never been part of a lineup like this,' " Hunter said. "If we can stay healthy, we can do some damage. . . . We've been in a little funk, but I still see us winning. In September, when we're jumping up and down on the field, we won't even remember this."
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Angels owner Arte Moreno remains open to signing closer Francisco Rodriguez, a free agent after this season, to a contract extension and is more than willing to negotiate during the season.
"There are two sides to every door, and our side is wide open," Moreno said.
"We'd like to have discussions, but at the end of the day, we have to do what we believe is best for our team, and he and his agent have to make a decision on what they feel is best," he added.
Rodriguez turned down a three-year, $34-million offer last winter and is believed to be looking for $15 million a year. Paul Kinzer, Rodriguez's agent, said there have been no negotiations since the right-hander's arbitration case in late February.
"I haven't discussed it with Frankie since spring training," Kinzer said. "I thought everything was on hold until after the season."
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